What Cheap, High MPG, reliable cars have you had?
Discussion
Looking for the cheapest car (under 2k) you guys have had that were comfy, good mpg and reliable.
Ive been looking at early hybrids, but nothing has taken my fancy. as well as 1.5 dci variations.
Would be used on trip over 5 miles - 200 miles so unsure if diesel would really be any good as it would be more the 5-20 miles.
Let me know some more ideas!
Ive been looking at early hybrids, but nothing has taken my fancy. as well as 1.5 dci variations.
Would be used on trip over 5 miles - 200 miles so unsure if diesel would really be any good as it would be more the 5-20 miles.
Let me know some more ideas!
2007 Renault Megane 1.5 DCi which I paid £1200 for, four years ago with 61K on the clock. Road tax is £30 and the lowest fuel economy I have seen is 55 MPG with an average of 65 MPG on a motorway journey.
Other than a set of tyres, set of glow plugs, a battery, brake pads and an annual service with eBay filters I have not spent a penny on it.
It has ruined me for other cars though as it is so cheap. No PDF to worry about on the early pre 2010 ones either.
Other than a set of tyres, set of glow plugs, a battery, brake pads and an annual service with eBay filters I have not spent a penny on it.
It has ruined me for other cars though as it is so cheap. No PDF to worry about on the early pre 2010 ones either.
Joey Deacon said:
2007 Renault Megane 1.5 DCi which I paid £1200 for, four years ago with 61K on the clock. Road tax is £30 and the lowest fuel economy I have seen is 55 MPG with an average of 65 MPG on a motorway journey.
Other than a set of tyres, set of glow plugs, a battery, brake pads and an annual service with eBay filters I have not spent a penny on it.
It has ruined me for other cars though as it is so cheap. No PDF to worry about on the early pre 2010 ones either.
Yer these keep popping up, Dad had a 1.6 petrol a few years back and wasnt a horrible drive at all. Other than a set of tyres, set of glow plugs, a battery, brake pads and an annual service with eBay filters I have not spent a penny on it.
It has ruined me for other cars though as it is so cheap. No PDF to worry about on the early pre 2010 ones either.
Shall have a nosey!
It wasn't cheap at the time but you can get a good one now for under 2K & that's a CLK/C270, you'll see mid forties on a run without a map high 40/50's with a map.
Around town you'll be in the 30's they don't have a DPF & are very reliable as well as being comfortable.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107084...
CLK 270
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107285...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108025...
220
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108055...
https://www.gumtree.com/p/mercedes-benz/mercedes-b...
Around town you'll be in the 30's they don't have a DPF & are very reliable as well as being comfortable.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107084...
CLK 270
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107285...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108025...
220
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108055...
https://www.gumtree.com/p/mercedes-benz/mercedes-b...
There are a lot of 1.6/ 1.8 petrol cars out there, that if driven sensibly, are not far off what you would get from a diesel in terms of economy. I would also argue that petrol is cheaper than diesel at the pumps and petrol cars are considerably less likely to cause issues.
I appreciate that for someone doing mega miles, diesel is the way to go, but it makes me laugh at times how people doing not that many miles, are hell bent on getting a diesel as they assume that they will make massive savings. The reality is that if doing 200 miles a week, the difference between driving a car that does 40mpg as opposed to 50mpg is about a fiver. All it takes is one injector/ DPF problem on some of these diesel cars and you'd be worse off in terms of overall costs compared to the petrol version.
I appreciate that for someone doing mega miles, diesel is the way to go, but it makes me laugh at times how people doing not that many miles, are hell bent on getting a diesel as they assume that they will make massive savings. The reality is that if doing 200 miles a week, the difference between driving a car that does 40mpg as opposed to 50mpg is about a fiver. All it takes is one injector/ DPF problem on some of these diesel cars and you'd be worse off in terms of overall costs compared to the petrol version.
Most economical car that I've owned was a Panda Diesel. Pretty much impossible to get it to do less than 70mpg (calculated brim to brim). Comfy enough for short trips, and it was still going strong with over 100k on the clock. Less than a grand.
Skoda Citigo was more of a "grown up" car, and 60mpg average. Not bad for a petrol engined car that can carry 4 adults. Comfy enough for long drives.
The runabout that I've just bought might be the best allrounder so far - Citroen C3 Picasso. 1.6 diesel, feels fast enough for normal driving. Comfy in a slightly floaty Citroen way. Very flexible seating and a decent boot, so easy to turn it into a van. Not that far off the Panda for economy - easy 60mpg. Might be a bit over budget, unless it's had a hard life.
Skoda Citigo was more of a "grown up" car, and 60mpg average. Not bad for a petrol engined car that can carry 4 adults. Comfy enough for long drives.
The runabout that I've just bought might be the best allrounder so far - Citroen C3 Picasso. 1.6 diesel, feels fast enough for normal driving. Comfy in a slightly floaty Citroen way. Very flexible seating and a decent boot, so easy to turn it into a van. Not that far off the Panda for economy - easy 60mpg. Might be a bit over budget, unless it's had a hard life.
MattsCar said:
There are a lot of 1.6/ 1.8 petrol cars out there, that if driven sensibly, are not far off what you would get from a diesel in terms of economy. I would also argue that petrol is cheaper than diesel at the pumps and petrol cars are considerably less likely to cause issues.
I appreciate that for someone doing mega miles, diesel is the way to go, but it makes me laugh at times how people doing not that many miles, are hell bent on getting a diesel as they assume that they will make massive savings. The reality is that if doing 200 miles a week, the difference between driving a car that does 40mpg as opposed to 50mpg is about a fiver. All it takes is one injector/ DPF problem on some of these diesel cars and you'd be worse off in terms of overall costs compared to the petrol version.
Sometimes a diesel is just a better option because the petrol engines offered in a particular model are poor. Small diesels in small cars are generally much more flexible and drivable than the non-turbo petrol alternative.I appreciate that for someone doing mega miles, diesel is the way to go, but it makes me laugh at times how people doing not that many miles, are hell bent on getting a diesel as they assume that they will make massive savings. The reality is that if doing 200 miles a week, the difference between driving a car that does 40mpg as opposed to 50mpg is about a fiver. All it takes is one injector/ DPF problem on some of these diesel cars and you'd be worse off in terms of overall costs compared to the petrol version.
If choosing a newer (and much more expensive) small to medium car, a turbo petrol would probably be my choice over a diesel.
ZX10R NIN said:
There's a 1p difference between petrol & diesel none of the diesels at this price point will have a DPF so that's a none issue, an injector isn't a given, also most petrols will need a cambelt & water pump doing which isn't cheap vs timing chains on the Mercedes I listed.
Yes, i suppose at this price range there will be less complicated engine designs...but there are cars with DPF's that are creeping in to this sort of price range.Didn't realise that there wasn't much difference between the cost of the 2 either, I always thought it was about 4-5p, until i checked.
Edited by MattsCar on Wednesday 11th August 19:32
Shock horror...Astra 1.7cdti,55 plate bought Jan '17 £1400,,genuine 53k miles,used as work motor upto July ''19,did 60+k miles paid @40p mile,went all over Kent,Aberdeen,fort William,Reading from co Durham never let me down,done cam belt,rear suspension shocks,springs,couple alternators,currently on 160k miles,never below 50mpg
Still got it but living in London ulez coming in Oct means van might be relegated to Oop norf
Still got it but living in London ulez coming in Oct means van might be relegated to Oop norf
I used to have one of these Alfa 147 JTD 16V's in Lusso spec and it was brilliant!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104211...
If most of the journeys you are doing are under 20 miles though, I probably wouldn't recommend it
If you are only spending 2 grand in this climate then cheap to run, comfortable AND reliable is a big ask!
You are realistically probably looking at things like Citroen C1s, Peugeot 107s, Toyota Aygos, Ford Ka's, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20s, Kia Picantos, Mazda 2's, Nissan Micras, Suzuki Altos, Toyota Yaris, Vauxhall Corsas, boring stuff like that.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104211...
If most of the journeys you are doing are under 20 miles though, I probably wouldn't recommend it
If you are only spending 2 grand in this climate then cheap to run, comfortable AND reliable is a big ask!
You are realistically probably looking at things like Citroen C1s, Peugeot 107s, Toyota Aygos, Ford Ka's, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20s, Kia Picantos, Mazda 2's, Nissan Micras, Suzuki Altos, Toyota Yaris, Vauxhall Corsas, boring stuff like that.
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